EVALUATION OF CARDIO PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF AVERRHOA CARAMBOLA FRUIT IN ISOPROTERENOL INDUCED MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION IN RATS

Myocardial infarction develops due to ischemia induced oxidative stress. Averrhoa Carambola fruit (ACF) is reported to possess strong antioxidant activity which may protect the heart against isoproterenol (ISO) induced myocardial infarction (MI) in rats. To evaluate this activity Averrhoa carambolafruit extract (ACFE) (200mg/kg & 400mg/kg, p.o) was administered to male wistar rats (180-250g) for 21days. At the end of this period, all the rats except rats of normal control group were administered ISO 85mg/kg intraperitonially, for 2 consecutive days to induce MI. After 48 hrs, rats were sacrificed and the level of cardiac biomarker enzymes like cardiac troponin-T (cTn-T), creatinine kinase (CK-MB) and lactatedehydrogenase1(LDH₁) in serum were estimated. Also antioxidant parameters likeglutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were estimated in heart tissue homogenate and histopathology of heart tissue was performed. Our results suggest that pretreatment of animals with ACFE maintain near normal levels of cardiac biomarker enzymes and antioxidant enzymes in both treatment groups (ACFE 200mg/kg, 400mg/kg) when compared to ISO treated group.  Histopathological findings of infarcted hearts treated with ACFE showed reduction in necrosis, infiltration of leucocyte and inflammation as compared to isoproterenol treated group.Thus the present study provides experimental evidence that hydro alcoholic extract of Averrhoa carambola fruit possess strong antioxidant properties which protect the myocardium against isoproterenol induced infarction